Magnus von Buddenbrock and Stefanie Giesselbach arrived in Chicago in 2006 full of hope. He was 30, she was 28, and they had both won their first overseas assignments at ALW Food Group, a family-owned food-trading company based in Hamburg. Von Buddenbrock had joined ALW—the initials stand for its founder, Alfred L. Wolff—four years earlier after earning a degree in marketing and international business, and he was expert in the buying and selling of gum arabic, a key ingredient in candy and soft drinks. Giesselbach had started at ALW as a 19-year-old apprentice. She worked hard, learned quickly, spoke five languages, and within three years had become the company’s first female product manager. Her specialty was honey. When the two colleagues began their new jobs in a small fourth-floor office a few blocks from Millennium Park in downtown Chicago, ALW’s business was growing, and all they saw was oppo…

Importation of Mangoes From Australia Into the Continental United States

MENAFN - - 9/19/2013 7:42:27 AM

Importation of Mangoes From Australia Into the Continental United States

ACTION: Final rule.

Sep 19, 2013 (Menafn - FIND, Inc. via COMTEX) --

SUMMARY:

We are amending the regulations concerning the importation of fruits and vegetables to allow the importation of fresh mangoes from Australia into the continental United States.

As a condition of entry, the mangoes would have to be produced in accordance with a systems approach employing a combination of mitigation measures for the fungus Cytosphaera mangiferae and would have to be inspected prior to exportation from Australia and found free of this disease.

The mangoes would have to be imported in commercial consignments only and would have to be treated by irradiation to mitigate the risk of the mango seed weevil and fruit flies.

The mangoes would also have to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate with an additional declaration …

Australian mangoes have been cleared for import into the U.S. starting Oct. 21.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture outlined conditions for entry of Australian mangoes into the U.S. in a regulation published Sept. 19 in the Federal Register.

Under the terms prescribed the USDA, the mangoes must be imported into the continental U.S. in commercial consignments, treated by irradiation in Australia or the U.S., treated with a fungicide and be subject to inspection in the orchard and the packing facility.

The USDA estimates Australian exporters will ship about 1,200 metric tons of mangoes to the U.S., less than 1% of current U.S. mango imports.

“It is unlikely that additional mango imports of 1,200 metric tons will cause a noteworthy decrease in mango prices or otherwise substantially affect the market,” the USDA said in the final rule.

The U.S. is the world’s leading importer of fresh mangoes, receiving 33% of all mango imports worldwide. The U.S. only produces ab…

The Reichstag building in Berlin on Sept. 17. (JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images)

Summary

Much of Europe is eagerly anticipating the results of Germany's Sept. 22 parliamentary elections, but this anticipation may be somewhat misplaced.

Of course, Germany's importance to Europe is well founded. It is Europe's largest economy and its main bailout creditor to struggling eurozone countries, so Germany's economic health is vital to the economic health of Europe as a whole.

But the relationship goes both ways: Germany's economy relies on the free trade zone and on exports, which the rest of Europe can buy only if it can afford to do so. Thus any government in Berlin will continue to aid countries afflicted by the European crisis -- even at the risk of growing domestic opposition.

Analysis

Germany's economic performance is tied strongly to external developments because of the country's reliance on exports. According to Eurostat, exports were …

Almost all foods that we eat, after being digested, absorbed, and metabolised, release either an acid or an alkaline base (bicarbonate) into blood. Grains, fish, meat, poultry, shellfish, cheese, milk, and salt all produce acid. The mass consumption of these foods have caused our bodies to become overly acidic, which strips it of minerals. Over the long haul, those who do not balance their diet with alkaline foods (vegetables and fruits, primarily) become prone to weak bones, joints and muscles, heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, and a host of other health problems. In other words, long-term health and longevity have everything to do with acid-alkaline balance.

Consider the Inuit (a.k.a., Eskimos), who do not have access to many fruits and vegetables. Their diets consist largely of seal meat, fish and whale blubber. While they eat few grains, their diet is nevertheless highly acidic. Though a sturdy bunch, with healthy hearts, their bone…